Iran "Out Of Phase" With What is Going On in Rest Of World

Kuwait News Agency:

Iran is "out of phase" with what is going on in the rest of the world, Michael Kozak, the acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said on Monday.

During a State Department briefing in conjunction with the release of the department's annual global human rights report, Kozak was asked what the main message of the report was for Iran.

" ... When you look at what is happening in Iraq, where you have just had elections there; when you look at the Palestinian territories, where you have just had free elections there; where you have (Egyptian) President (Hosni) Mubarak at least talking about having free elections; and what has gone on in Iran is very much the opposite, where the space for people that did not agree with the ruling clique has been reduced, and I think that is covered on the report -- that people were not able to run for election and so on," Kozak said.

Iran has "a real problem," he added. "If it wants to become a respected member of the family of nations, it is not doing the things that get you there.